And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda includes viewing a flick about a king, a stop at a favorite tavern, and still another listening party, where the rotation will likely include this, this, this, this and this. And what about you? Spring may not be in the air yet, but you can pretend by strolling outdoors. This may also be a good time to start planning a getaway or two. Perhaps catching up on your reading is in order. Or if you reside on this side of the pond, you could file your taxes. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon. …
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary defended the agency’s recent rejections of rare disease drugs and top FDA official Vinay Prasad, who oversees the center that rejected many of those drugs, STAT tells us. The agency has rejected or seemingly reversed course on at least five cell and gene therapies since the Trump administration instated new leaders. In an interview with CNBC, Makary called Prasad, the FDA’s medical and scientific chief and head of its biologics center, a “genius” who is facing a “fatwa” and a “smear campaign” by certain media outlets. The comments were in response to questions about an editorial published earlier this week in The Wall Street Journal that questioned Prasad’s role in the rejections and accused Prasad of insisting on clinical trials that are too difficult and expensive to pull off.
Cigna has acquired CarepathRx, a large pharmacy backed by private equity that dispenses prescription drugs to nearly 10% of U.S. hospitals, STAT reports. The acquisition reinforces the company’s push to control more of the lucrative flow of pharmaceuticals through the U.S. health care system. Cigna executives have repeatedly told investors that managing prescription drugs has been one of their highest priorities since the company acquired Express Scripts for $54 billion in 2018. CarepathRx dispenses numerous types of drugs to hospitals, including specialty drugs, infusion medicines, and those sold through the federal drug discount program known as 340B. Hospitals hire CarepathRx so patients can fill their prescriptions with the hospital instead of going to their local pharmacy.Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…